As I write this sentence I am also "playing" Hero Tap: The Finger of Justice - as much as one might say one "plays" Hero Tap: The Finger of Justice.

The game is running on my phone, and the number indicating my Fame is going up automatically. If I tap anywhere on the screen I'll increase my Fame even more, but not nearly at the same rate as letting the game do the work for me. Fame is the single most important measure in Hero Tap, because it can be spent on recruiting new superheroes to your cause (increasing the amount of Fame you earn), and purchasing upgrades for your squad (again increasing the amount of Fame you earn). Collecting enough of it defeats your opponents, at which point you capture them and begin taking on the next one.

Super villains do not attack you or the population you are protecting, they just stand there and are slowly defeated as your accrue more Fame by doing nothing. Or less than nothing, as you also increase your Fame when the game isn't running.

The route you take to upgrade your squad is less about strategic thinking, more about common sense: buy the things that boost your Fame the most, for the least amount of Fame.

I ended up developing a technique for holding my phone that allowed me to tap as quickly as possible. You place your thumbs underneath the device, and tap the screen with your free fingers. When I realized I looked like I was playing an epic solo on a futuristic flute, I laughed. It was the one bit of joy I derived from my time with Hero Tap.

When I needed Quintillions of Fame to progress, I'd long lost any interest in seeing which poorly animated super villain Hero Tap would recycle from its tiny roster for the next stage. I'm amazed I lasted that long, what with the repetitive sound effects and music, and frequent crashes. The game has in-app purchases to speed up the process of earning Fame, as you might expect, but I've no idea who'd want to pay to not play this game.

By being a hands-off experience and rewarding players that don't participate in its "gameplay" almost as much as those that do, Hero Tap: The Finger of Justice has the marks of a title that doesn't care if you're there to play it. So take my advice and don't.

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